Darker Beginnings

Chapter 5

  Noroi sat up in his bed the following morning to the relief of silence. He looked to Autumn Leaf beside him, gently petting her ear and kissing her cheek. Getting onto his feet, he walked into Aria and Ultimate's guest room, finding them cuddling under the sheets to escape the cold winds of fall coming into the room via window. Noroi nodded in reassurance and made his way into the living room, finding no one. He perked his ears.
Was he the only one awake?
Looking to the grandfather clock near the television, he assumed he was. Most people are asleep at 9 AM. He made his way to the balcony, sitting on a chair and taking in the scenery. Fall was by far his favorite time of year. The leaves became such beautiful colors, and with shorter days he could be outside as early as 7 PM without risk of burning up. He looked to the sky, some small puffy cumulus clouds racing their way across the ocean of atmosphere. He sighed a bit, looking to the scepter that lain dormant against his bedroom wall. He approached his cautiously, not looking deep into the gem and glazing over it's full appearance. He felt his ears flop, something deep within him making him uneasy and tense.
What was it?
He walked back outside, scepter in hand, and sat in his chair once again, polishing the staff with care. He looked up to the sky as he did, the sunrise making him feel feverish and the sunlight making his weak skin throb slightly. He looked to the scepter again, flopping his ears and looking to Autumn Leaf. An idea had come to him.
Maybe he was homesick.
Looking back at his history and the tools he used to gain the influence he had, he began to grow uneasy and distressed. Maybe a small visit would clear his mind. He wouldn't stay there for keeps, he would miss his wife and son too dearly, but a short weekend visit. Just to see how the people of the Kingdom are faring without him. He suddenly rose to the heading words of his mind. He rushed around the house, eating his fill of microwave pizzas and drinking what small amount of coffee he needed, feeling that if he needed any food the Kingdom of Darkness would provide it. He stepped onto the balcony once again, the sunrise cascading into a dark land and spreading light all throughout. Before he got badly burned, he used his Angel of Darkness powers to summon a small air bubble as he flew into the atmosphere. He soon glided into the stratosphere and likewise. Before he knew it, he was out of the grips of the Kingdom, and flying towards the moonlit planet of sheer darkness.


***


"Aria! Ultimate! Wake up!"
Aria jerked up in her bed, looking around and shaking Ultimate awake. Autumn Leaf stood in the doorway, looking as if she had seen her demise. Aria quickly awoke and grew concerned.
"Autumn Leaf? What's wrong?" Aria asked. Autumn Leaf started sobbing a bit, sniffling.
"Noroi's gone missing! He left his phone here! I'm scared something bad happened to him!" she sobbed. Aria sat up, but quickly sat down. Autumn Leaf rushing to Natsu's bedroom. Ultimate handed Aria her clothes and rushed after Autumn Leaf, finding her rushing to the castle. Natsu cleared his throat, sighing a bit.
"She was going to get Anasta and her Search Team. See if they can find him." Natsu said. Ultimate sighed a bit, Aria coming in wearing a tank top and short shorts. Ultimate looked to her, sighing a bit.
"I mean...after what happened last night it's really worrying, but do you think he actually did it...?" Ultimate asked. Aria shook her head.
"Not at all. He has a family here. A wife. Friends. People who care about him. He wouldn't throw it all away unless he wasn't himself." she said. Ultimate looked to her, ears flopped.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Aria sighed a bit.
"What Noroi said about the shadows and the voices. When you fell asleep last night I stayed up a bit, too up to sleep. I started digging around Korosu's notes and whatnot. Turns out anyone who holds that scepter that is aligned with dark energy tends to go bonkers. It isn't genetic that those of the aptly named Insanity family lose their minds, but a matter of contact with the scepter's aura. It corrupts things. Noroi's psyche is so vulnerable now that he's forgotten everything, I think he went back to the Kingdom of Darkness. The Shadows are wriggling their way into his mind just like they did when he was in the womb. Just as they did throughout his entire life before his condemnation to the Void. They're slowly controlling him again." she spoke. Both Natsu and Ultimate were scared white, Natsu shaking.
"I-Is there a way to stop it?" he asked. Aria nodded, sighing a bit.
"As much as I would love to keep the scepter as an artifact of the past, we have no other choice. To save Noroi's mind, we have to shatter that malicious scepter once and for all."


***


Majoni watched the rain from within castle walls, sipping his coffee and looking at Shade who sat at the other end of the table. He smiled wide, sipping his cup again and looking out to the water splattered against the glass. Shade looked to Majoni, setting down his fork which had a morsel of what he was eating on the end.
"Dad? What's wrong?" he asked. Majoni looked Shade calmly in the eye, smiling warmly.
"I'm just happy to finally have a son of my own accord. I've had a handful of love interests but never an heir." he said. Shade smiled back to him, continuing to eat his breakfast. Majoni saw Kuma on the staircase, groaning in pain and limping down the stairs, sometimes skipping a few and barely falling, catching herself before she could. Majoni sighed once again, moving his platter closer to Shade, seemingly to protect him from the hungover shadow that drooled before them in pain and fatigue. Majoni scooted himself and Shade to one side of the table while Kuma sat and slammed her head on the other. Majoni sighed a bit, spawning a glass of water and a hearty breakfast before her. Catching whiff of it, Majoni looked her in the eye and nodded subtly.
"This should help. A good breakfast and a non-alcoholic drink often soothes hangover symptoms." he said. Kuma sat up a bit, taking her utensils and starting to eat. Shade looked to Majoni in confusion, pulling him close to himself to whisper.
"Dad, I thought you hated her. Why help her?" he asked. Majoni chuckled a bit, sighing lightly.
"I only despise her when she's drunk or hungover. I only hate 60% of her. But when her lips aren't pressed to a bottle or recovering from the mistakes of before, she's actually quite pleasant. She tends to soften up around me because of our long history but when she's not drunk she's s very hardworking person." he said. Shade understood now, looking to Kuma, who was nearly halfway done with her breakfast. Shade suddenly heard a small murmur behind them, looking back and seeing a shaking troll servant. Getting up from the table, he walked over to the troll, confused.
"What's the matter?" he asked gingerly. The troll shook a bit more.
"N-Noroi...He's come back..."


***


Noroi was out of breath. He looked around as if he had entered a parallel dimension. In some ways, it was true. Instead of a sunrise, the moon governed their light source for the world as a whole. He looked all around, utterly dumbfounded at all the beauty this world had. He felt welcome to look about, smiling wide at every moment. He walked down the streets of his old home, Yami. He saw a towering obsidian castle not too far ahead in the distance, feeling his tail wag at the anticipation of meeting whatever King or Queen governed the land. As he walked along, he felt the eyes upon him. They glared down at him, some morbidly terrified at him. He overlooked the eyes, looking up to the moon and the towering buildings of the castle city before it. He was in utter awe at the colors of this land. Soon, he found himself in the city square, and array of shops advertising and circling the enclosed city space. In the center was a fountain-statue hybrid that displayed a man he had never seen before. He was adorned in a fancy tuxedo, wore a shining bowtie, and was dressed as if he was attending a meeting of the highest deities. A true man of business and authority. 'Hovering' behind him with the help of thin metal wires were semi-transparent glass wings, they shimmering in the light of the pale moon. He sat at the ridge of the fountain, setting the scepter down and taking in the cool breeze and the mist of the water. He felt alive again. He felt at ease.
He felt like he was home at last.
However, as he sat on the display enjoying himself, he saw the eyes of the entire enclosure staring at him. He looked around, some people mortified, others grossly curious with faces of disbelief and anger. Suddenly, he heard the flapping of a cape beside him. He looked over, seeing a crimson red hedgehog looking him angrily in the eye. The flame in his eyes were so real that Noroi felt himself be burned in the soul. The being narrowed his vengeful eyes, beckoning his hand to him.
"Noroi, you slob of a Shadow, follow me." he said lowly. Noroi felt himself get tense for no real reason. This Mobian seemed so familiar, adorned in a cape and small crown. The fire in his eyes reminded him of a pained allegiance with a certain race of pyrokinetic people, causing Noroi to gasp for breath and attempt to speak.
"M-Me? What do you want me for?" he asked. He scoffed in an uncaring manner, almost heartless in nature, and lightly slapped Noroi. Soon, he was forcefully dragging the Angel of Darkness towards the kingdom castle.
"Don't ask questions, mutt. We're almost there." he said in an intimidating tone. Suddenly, Noroi found himself in the ebony fortress, seeing a large throne room before him, and the man of the statue sitting comfortably on the chair. The Mobian attempted to toss Noroi to the floor, walking to the man's side and crossing his arms, turning his back to Noroi. The man stood up from his place, on the throne, looking down to Noroi, smiling wide as the Angel of Darkness shook helplessly in place.
"Welcome back, Noroi Insanity."